Cherry dropper



April 29, 1930. w. s. SWETT 1,756,222

CHERRY DROPPER Filed June 25, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J 720621227 @6626 5, #Zz

April 29, 1930.

w. s. SWETT CHERRY DROPPER Filed Jun 25, 925 2 Sheets-Sheet wwwwwwww Patented Apr. 29, 1930 wnsLEY s. swnrr, or nnwronvinnn, ar'assaonusners, ASSIGNOR 'ro UNITED CANDY COMPANY, (DE-BOSTON, n issacnusarrs, A CORPORATION or New YORK I cnnnny nnorrnn,

Application filed'J'une 25,

' This invention relatestomachines for selectingand depositing candy' inserts or the like, and with respect to certain more. specific features thereof to automatically operating device's timed wi h certain feeding devices having provision for taking individual pieces preserved cherries which do not run uniform either as" to size or shape, and which further-- more, are apt to be soft and sticky.

In candy making where these cherries are used as cores or inserts it has been necessar as acommercial matter to employ as high as eight or ten operatives to place the inserts by hand as automatic feeding devices transfer the candy molds from one feeding or depositing mechanism to another. The present invention is quite inexpensive, highly efficient and durable, involves practically no loss of the materials operated upon, and maybe safely placed under the control of relatively unskilled workmen. Y

The invention accordingly consists in the various features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of-parts which will be exemplified by the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application ofwhich will'be indicated in the following claims. 7 c p In the accompanying drawings wherein is shown one of various possible embodiments of the invention,' 7 I I Figure l is a view in side elevation of a candy depositing machine with the improved insert selector and depositor. v

mechanism shownin Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view in elevation of a portion Figure 2 is across sectional view of the of the insert carrying drum.

Figure 4; is a sectional view illustrating a portion of the insertcarrying drum and the selecting finger and deposit chute.

1225'. Serial no. 39,508.

Figure 5 is a view of the same showing the path of the selecting finger.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 8. v

Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views, a frame is indicated at 10 comprising a fiat table 11 over which there travels in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 1 a pair of conveyor chains 12. Mounted on these conveyor chains are successive molds 13 formed ready for the confection deposit. One depositor is indicated in Figure 1 at 20 and is adapted tosupply a cream tothe molds as the machine in its intermittent operation registers successive rows of molds opposite the discharge spout 21 of the depository. As thesemolds move on intermittently they come opposite a series of conduits 22 which are related with the selecting and depositing mechanism now to be described. 1 Y

A rotatable drum 30 is mountedon a driv mounted on a shaft 37, are adapted to move.

A guard 40 isarranged around thelower half ofthe drum nearly in'contact with theouter ends of the discharge spouts 34. This guard servesto prevent the inserts from dropping out of the drum until the'spouts have moved into a position-where they areacted upon by the picker'or selector fingers 36. The move{ ment ofthe fingers 36 is oscillatory, and in timed relation with the rotary movement of the drum. This movement of the picker fingersis effected by a cam 41 operating on a cam roll 42 through a crank rod 43 to rock a shaft .44 about eighty degrees; Through gear and pinion connection between the shaft 44 and the shaft 37, a rotary movement of about three hundred degrees is given to the latter shaft and to the selector fingers thereon. This movement is timed to take place as one of the discharge spouts 3a is moving beyond the end of the guard 40, so that as the drum approaches this position the selector fingers 36 moving in unison with the shaft 37 will approach from behind the outermost insert contained in the spout 34.- and move between it and the next succeeding insert. This will cause the outermost insert to be delivered into the delivery conduit 22, and to drop therethrough into position in the candy molds on top of the cream previously deposited through the spout 21. As the molds move on in the direction of the arrow, Figure 1, they arrive presently in a portion of registration opposite a second dcpositor 50 which applies more cream above the insert resulting in the finished bonbon.

After the inserts have been selectedfrom one row of discharge spouts 34 of the drum 30, this particular row commences its upward movement above the horizontal axis of the drum which ordinarily results in the cherries or inserts dropping back into the drum. In order to assure this backward movement, however, a series of fingers .60 are provided further along in the rotary path ofthe discharge spouts, these fingers being loosely mounted on a rod 61 so that by gravity the fingers follow into the path of the spouts opposite the grooves. By this means any z cherries remaining for any'reasonin the spouts are urged back into the drum. It happens occasionally that in the operation of the selector orpicker fingers, or in feeding the cherries to the drum through the hoppers,

some of the cherries are deposited on the outer side of the drum and become wedged between the spouts 34. In order to compensate for this, another series of; fingers 70 are fixedly arranged on-a shaft or rod 71 in position to skive the cherries from between the spouts and allow them to run on into a removable container 72 properly placed in position to receive the cherries.

The relative movements, arrangements and shapes of the drum, spouts, guard 40 and picker fingers 36 have been found highly efficient in performing the diificult work of selecting individual inserts, particularly cherries and the like fromthe mass. It is v to be noted that while the forward hooked face 81 of the picker fingers 36 controls the outward movement of the outermost cherry in the discharge spout, the rearward face 82 of the selector finger tendsto bafile the outward flow of the remaining cherries until such time as the spout 34 has moved from its horizontal position upwardly to a point where the action of gravity if not actually returning the cherries to the drum will at least prevent their continuing in outward movement, leaving them in the discharge spout until the action of the fingers 60 forces, them back into the drum.

' What I claim is 1. In a machine for selecting and depositing candy inserts or the like, a rotatable drum adapted to contain a mass of candy inserts,

means on said drum for-receiving individual adapted 'to contain a mass of candy inserts,

means comprising outwardly projecting discharge spouts onsaid drum for receiving individual inserts from the mass in said drum, a fixed guard cooperative with said spouts for retaining the individual inserts in said spouts, a plurality of delivery conduits, and a plurality of picker fingers arranged to operate nearthe termination of said guard to select the inserts and transfer the same from said spouts to said delivery conduits.

3. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a rotatable drum container for a multiplicity of pieces, slotted spouts projecting outwardly from said drum, picker fingers arranged to move into theslots of said spouts, and means for operating said picker fingers periodically to co-operate with successive spouts on the drum-whereby the outermost piece in each spout will be selected and delivered while the flow of the other pieces is baffled by the finger.

4. In a machine ofthe character described, in combination, a rotatable drum container fora multiplicity of pieces, a plurality of rows of spouts projecting outwardly from said drum, a row of picker fingers arranged toselect pieces at the openings of said spouts, and a row of delivery conduits cooperatively arranged with said picker fingers to receive said pieces.

5. In a machine of the character described, I? 1n combination, a rotatable drum container for a multiplicity of pieces, a plurality of rows of slotted spouts projecting outwardly from said drum, a row of picker fingers adapted to rock in and out of the slots in 15-5 

